Man injured in Gilmor Homes arrest has spine surgery, remains in coma

Citizen video of Baltimore Police taking a man believed to be Freddie Gray into custody in the Gilmor Homes area on April 12. After being arrested the man was hospitalized in critical condition. A week later, he died.

Citizen video of Baltimore Police taking a man believed to be Freddie Gray into custody in the Gilmor Homes area on April 12. After being arrested the man was hospitalized in critical condition. A week later, he died.

A man critically hurt in a West Baltimore arrest this week had spine surgery and remained comatose Wednesday.

A man injured in a videotaped encounter with Baltimore police near Gilmor Homes this week had surgery and remained in a coma Wednesday, while the Police Department still declined to comment on why he was arrested or how he was hurt.

Freddie Gray, 27, underwent a double surgery Tuesday on three broken vertebrae and an injured voice box, his stepfather, Richard Shipley, said. Doctors have told his family he was without oxygen for a time but did not sustain a brain injury in the encounter, Shipley said.

"He's doing a little better, I guess," Shipley said. The operations "went as well as could be expected. They won't know until he wakes up."

Four bicycle officers tried to stop Gray at about 9 a.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of W. North Ave. for an alleged violation that police have not identified. He ran, police said, and the officers caught him and restrained him on the ground while awaiting backup.

A video that circulated widely on social media and prompted the Police Department to hold a news conference about the incident showed him yelling as police held him on the sidewalk and then carried him, his legs dragging limp on the street, into a police van.

Police say that a man was stopped Sunday morning by four officers on bike patrol. He tried to run but was stopped and arrested. Shortly afterwards, the man was taken to the hospital and is now in critical condition. (Justin George/Baltimore Sun)

Police say that a man was stopped Sunday morning by four officers on bike patrol. He tried to run but was stopped and arrested. Shortly afterwards, the man was taken to the hospital and is now in critical condition. (Justin George/Baltimore Sun)

In the news conference, Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said he had watched the video several times and "at no time…did I see the use of force at that moment."

Police declined to answer any follow-up questions about the incident, citing an ongoing investigation.

Prisoners have made claims in the past about being injured by being unrestrained in police vehicles while being transported. A police spokesman declined to comment on whether a citywide order to properly restrain prisoners, given shortly after the news conference, was related to the Sunday incident.